How to ensure that you stay safe and protected when shopping online

July 16, 2016

In this day and age, so much of the shopping that people do is done online through the internet. There are so many advantages to it that you would be crazy not to do it for even some of the products and services that you consume regularly.

While there are many benefits associated with online shopping, such as more choice, better prices, convenience and delivery straight to your door, there are also some steps you need to take to ensure that you are protected from any potential threats at all times.

Mark Dubowitz is experienced when it comes to matters related to dodgy dealings and knows how important it is to take certain precautions when you are dealing with people you don’t know on a first hand basis.

Here are a few useful tips to keep in mind the next time you are shopping online

Make sure that you shop with well-known and trusted brands

When it comes to shopping online, there are so many different places that you can shop from, that it can often be an overwhelming and stressful choice.

Most people will go with the cheapest option, which sounds reasonable, until you dig a little deeper. As you are not seeing the goods in the flesh when you make the purchase, you will not be able to attest to the quality of the product until you have paid for it and it has been delivered to your place of residence.

While when dealing with vendors that have been used before or are well known is fine and trusting, if you use a site that does not have much of a track record, you need to be careful. If they are selling something for much cheaper than you would find it in other stores, this usually is a warning sign.

It could be a knock off and very low quality copy of the actual product you are looking to buy. As a rule of thumb, if the deal seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Utilize credit cards instead of debit cards

When you are making purchases online, you should use a credit card over a debit card if you are concerned with security. This will give you the ability to charge back a monetary amount if your card has been compromised and your information has been used by someone else to make purchases with your card.

This form of protection is not available when you only use a debit card. Credit cards usually have a limit on them also as to how much can be spent. Third party payment platforms like PayPal are also a safe choice to use.

Double check the URL of the site

A good way of checking if a site is safe to use it to look at the URL. Https is a safety protocol that was developed to encrypt information. Websites that use https are safe, as the SSL encrypts all information that is distributed online, like your card details. The https will usually be preceded by a padlock symbol also.